needed this thread last year, in nov. there use to be a real nice meteor shower but we don't go through that tail anymore for 90 years they say, but there is the one in mid aug. that always puts on a good show. I use to get up at 2am and just sit back and watch them shoot across the shy.

10-05-2003, 07:10 PM

eldee

When the sky is clear and the stars are out, I think of different things.

When by myself:
God.
Purity in nature.
Innocense and childhood.
Safety, as if they are our protectors.
Peace.

With friends:
Friends (stars hanging together like friends)
What is out there.
The Big Dipper.

10-05-2003, 07:16 PM

SnowflakeGirl

The most stars I've ever seen in the sky were in Tahiti, where my husband and i went for our honeymoon. Whenever I look up into a starry night sky, I remember lying outside of the verandah of our overwater bungalow, feeling the warm caress of hibiscus-scented tropical breezes, and watching shooting star after shooting star in a sky like black velvet scattered with diamonds. You just don't see stars like that in the city.

10-06-2003, 01:04 AM

eldee

SnowflakeGirl, your description is like poetry. Wow, those Tahitian skies must be extra special. :star

10-06-2003, 01:11 AM

Rab

It's really hard to see the stars when we have cloudy and/or "starless" nights lol. Right now when I look out the window I see the bright moon and that's it. It always reminds of the Oregon Coast b/c over there is really nice and the waves lull me to sleep.

10-06-2003, 01:38 AM

eldee

Rab, do they have a planetarium close by to you or at a university?

10-06-2003, 01:46 AM

Rab

Quote:

Originally Posted by eldee

Rab, do they have a planetarium close by to you or at a university?

Not that I know of. And our city only has a community college (pretty small) so that's out of the question and the nearest univ is about 2 hours away.:bunny

10-06-2003, 01:48 AM

eldee

Maybe during the crisp fall weather, there will be many clear nights full of stars. :)

10-06-2003, 12:17 PM

senrik

Quote:

Originally Posted by eldee

Maybe during the crisp fall weather, there will be many clear nights full of stars. :)

really the biggest issue (as I recall a friend of mine that was studying astronomy) is light pollution. the closer you are to a lot of light, the less stars you see. Unfortunately, a lot of universities are near big cities.

IN NYC, you cannot see a single star at night, and even the planetarium has to simulate stars with a laser.

I remember seeing the stars while on vacation with my wife. We were in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, and the sky was an intricate patchwork of light, strong enough to read by. a stunning powerful image.

So I know what snowflake is talking about.

10-06-2003, 06:42 PM

glennajo

When I was in high school three of my closest friends and I used to go road tripping in the country on the weekends, back before we knew better than to drink and drive, or maybe we thought we were invincible. When the sky was really clear we'd all get out and lean back across the hood of my friend's car and look at the stars, just hoping we'd be able to see one fall.
The last time we all did this was the last weekend of the summer. We were getting ready to go off to college in different areas of the state. I remember my friend Amy saying that she was going to miss us all, and that we were her best friends. That night was the last time I ever saw her. The morning that we all started school I got a phone call saying that she had been hit by a train on her way to classes at the local community college she was attending. That damn railroad track was just about a half mile from her house, and she never even saw the train. A witness said that the train didn't blow it's whistle, and these crossings in the country don't have crossing gates or lights.
She died that morning on her way to school. 18 years old, and so much to live for.
Now whenever I look at the stars I always think of Amy, and I tell her that I'm missing her.